October 21 1942 Niubizi At War
 Chinese_people_in_wartime01-108-2.jpg "Niubizi At War")
An article written by Cheng Yibo in the Central Daily News of Guiyang.
Niu Bizi is here to hold an exhibition, ‘Chinese People in Wartime’, this is an exciting event. ‘Chinese People in Wartime’ comes alive in this Niu Bizi cartoon exhibition.
Well, this hardworking, ‘Wartime Niu Bizi’ should be introduced to the public to give him some comfort for coming from so far away.
Niu Bizi in Shanghai - Before the war, Niu Bizi was most blunt towards the evils in society. There was always no tolerance, no forgiveness, specifically challenging the tyrants, the cowardly and the petty people. Before the war, he fought and challenged the evil!
His mission in the interior of China - What happened to Niu Bizi in the Anti-Japanese War? When I was in Nanjing, I heard that Huang Yao, his creator brought him along, leaving Shanghai on the day the Eight Hundred Heroes retreated from the Four Lines Warehouses. They traveled via Nanjing, Hankou to Sichuan. He took on the heavy responsibility of being part of the war resistance. He took upon himself the responsibility for educating the general public and teaching the soldiers about what to do in war.
His lianhuanhua – His own publishing company, Minjian Chubanshe or People's Publishing (a special publication for the public - reading material for the soldier and common people), Niu Bizi can be found in full military uniform deep in the frontline with the strong young men in the army; or wearing peasant clothes, deep into the villages and in rural areas, reading to them stories regarding the purpose of anti aggression war and the education of the soldiers. So that those at the front, know how to use weapons, how to work on civil-military cooperation, how to treat prisoners of war and eventual the neutralization of the enemy, etc. In the backlines, to know a good man should join the army, work hard in farming, civil-military cooperation and so on.
His woodblock prints - I remember the issue of Niu Bizi changing undesirable old customs and turn them to benefit the war: such as in the New Year posters of the ‘Military Door Gods’, adapted by him to teach the people to win the war; also the Gods of Harmony "Hehe Immortals" prints posted on the bedroom doors were directing people to kill the enemy for revenge; as well as the Dragon Boat Festival, ‘Zhong Kui Tu’ (The demon queller), to obliterate the new top five poisons among the people.
Support of the different organizations of the government - We really have to be grateful to Niu Bizi in wartime, whom I have seen in the cartoon series of booklets, the Minjian Chubanshe's new lianhuanhua, as well as published two years ago, ‘A Chinese Soldier’ and other books. These books have received government encouragement and support, such as by the Central Propaganda Department, Ministry of Education, military service department, the Central Youth League Party Committee Publicity Department and the War zone Party Governing Committee for circulation to all for the promotion and implementation.
Wartime Niu Bizi, has indeed contributed the greatest efforts towards the great war of resistance!
Now that he has done it again, diligently expressed what the Chinese people are like in the Wartime, it was an exciting event to behold!
Related Post : 1938 to 1942 Support from different government organizations for Huang Yao books
Download PDF : ‘Chinese People in Wartime’ (64 pages, in Chinese)
